Passported Benefits

The Scottish Government has consulted on changes due to UK welfare reform to the current system of passported benefits. The Scottish Government use the receipt of various welfare benefits as a proxy measure for low-income or disability when assessing entitlement to Scottish-controlled benefits such as free school lunches and legal aid, among others. These are often known as “passported benefits” and include benefits-in kind, cash benefits or discounts on charges. Because Universal Credit (UC) will encompass both in-work and out-of-work claimants, while DLA and the new Personal Independence Payments (PIP) will have significant differences, the government isn’t extending eligibility of passported benefits to all those on UC. They are seeking to maintain similar access to passported benefits under the new arrangements. You can read the full consultation here.  You can also read Lead Scotland’s response to the consultation (click on the links on the right-hand side of this page).